A year with ups and downs

2019 was a great year for video games but an okay year for myself personally. I once again applied for the JET Programme and was again, unsuccessful. I got closer to being chosen for it so I know that it’s possible. Of course, I was upset by this but it lit a fire in me, I knew that I could achieve my dream of living and working in Japan. Two times I have attempted to grasp my dream and twice I have come close to achieving it. I’m focusing on a couple of other things first before actively chasing my dream again but maybe third time’s the charm.

Another thing that happened in 2019 was me falling into ruts with writing, a form of writer’s block. I had so many ideas for things to write about but never did last year and that’s because several times in 2019, I fell out of love with writing. I had tonnes of things I wanted to write about but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to write. I did break through it though and did manage to get some of the things I wanted to write about, done and the response to them was wonderful.

However, just as I was getting into my stride, I went straight back into the rut. I wasn’t the only blogger that went into a funk of sorts with writing. I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU, to everyone I spoke to last year when I was in a rut. Your kind words and advice really helped me get back into the groove.

My favourite content of the year

I’m going to list some of my favourite pieces of content that I have written this year. Some of these are on this list because of the idea/s and thought that went into them. Others make the list due to how passionate I was in creating the articles.

I hope this list highlights some content that you may have missed or you remember reading. There might be something on this list that you may enjoy.

QOTM: A Disjointed City, Divided Between Heaven and Hell

The reason why this post is on this list is because of the idea that went into it. I created the city of Requiem in my mind and then I started typing and as I went on, the ideas kept going and going. It was a post where my brain went crazy with creativity and it felt good. I really enjoyed this piece and I hope I can expand on this idea in some way in the future.

Now is the Time to Bring Back Dino Crisis

Early on in 2019, I made an article on how it is the right time to bring Dino Crisis back. I love the Dino Crisis series, I’ve made that very clear here on my blog and on Twitter. Dino Crisis does deserve to come back and it looks like that it could actually be happening. C’mon Capcom!

Do You Miss Video Game Instruction Manuals?

This piece was very interesting because of the discussions that came from it. I really enjoyed writing this and talking with people about video game instruction manuals. I want to do more articles like this in the future.

Blogovision 2019: Goro Majima

MAJIMA IS LOVE. MAJIMA IS LIFE

Focused yet lost

This was the post where I opened up about how felt with writing. I think this is an important article to share again because this was one of the few times I allowed myself to open up. I learned a valuable lesson with this post, that it’s okay to not feel great all the time and to tell people when you’re not doing so well. There will always be someone there to help you and again, thank you to everyone that talked to me.

Y’know What We Need? Brown Toilet Paper

This post stemmed from my friend Casey’s live stream where I randomly posted the title of the tagged piece. It got quite a laugh and so I decided to expand upon it and write about it. The response this piece got was brilliant and exactly what I thought it would be. If you haven’t read it yet, give it a read and have a laugh.

Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4) – Review

This is one of my favourite reviews I have written about one of my favourite video games of all time. Marvel’s Spider-Man is a game that you HAVE TO PLAY.

The Films of L.A. Noire

This massive article took a long time to make and it went through several versions before I decided on the format that the post uses. Listing all of the films from the collectable gold film reels alongside their respective movie posters is something that hadn’t been done before so I decided to do it.

The response this got was well worth the time and effort I put into it, it is one of my most highly viewed pieces on my blog and it made me feel good that people liked it.

That’s my 2019 year in review of That Green Dude. Let me know in the comments below which piece I wrote in 2019 is your favourite.